Below is a selection of recently published books which the Editorial Team at MSo think are of interest to the MedSoc community.We would welcome formal reviews of any of these publications or alternatively you may add a brief comment here, below the details.

The Protection of Children, Second Edition, with 2014 Preface - Robert Dingwall

This book has not been easily available in print for many years, but it has long been regarded as an important contribution to the study of child abuse and neglect, and legal and social responses to it.This classic study of law and social work in action is based on the most extensive investigation of child abuse and neglect ever carried out in Great Britain. The authors followed the course of numerous cases from the first detection of ill-treatment to the resolution (or otherwise) of the problem. Famous for coining the much-used (and often misused or misunderstood) phrase “the rule of optimism,” this book is updated with an extensive Postscript from 1995 and a new, 2014 Preface that explains the uneven history of the optimism principle, in both the UK and US — and in both social work practice and sociological scholarship.

The authors are experts in sociology, law, and social work in the field, and they bring their unique perspectives and experiences to this recognized and insightful project.

A new paperback edition, also featuring the new introduction, will be published summer 2014.

The details and descriptions of the books featured on this page are provided by the publishers and the MSo Editorial team can take no responsibility for their accuracy.To submit a formal review of any of the publications above, or another book, please go to our Book Review submissions page.

Publishers wishing to have their books featured here should contact the Journal Administrator in the first instance.